Jose matthews and joseph gilmer



(No Model.)

JQ'MATTHEWS & J. GILMER. HOUSE DOOR LETTER BOX- Pate'nted Feb. 24, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSE MATTHEWS AND JOSEPH GILMER, OF SAVANNAH, GEORGIA; SAID MATTHEVSASSIGNOR TO SAID GILMER.

House-noon LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,254, dated February24, 1891.

Application filed October 28, 1890. Serial No. 369,550. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatwe, J OSE MATTHEWS and JOSEPH GILMER, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Savannah, in the county of Ohat ham and Stateof Georgia, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Mail-Boxes for Offices, Private Houses, or Public Buildings; and we do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

The special object of the invention is to make a mail-box for privatehouses, in which the carrier may simultaneously deposit the mail, strikea hell or gong, and look a cover over the entrance-slot, thus preventinga possibility of any of the letters being removed by the insertion ofany device through said slot.

Figure 1 of the drawings is an elevation of my invention attached to adoor, and Fig. 2 a vertical section thereof.

In the drawings, A represents a door having the vertical slot at,through which the carrier is expected to drop his mail into the box B.Over the inside of box and of door is a slot-cover C, which has a knob0', connected by an elastic or other spring D to another knob a on theinside of door. This springD holds the cover 0 above the slot a untilthe mail has been deposited by the carrier, who draws down the cover 0until the spring-latch E shoots out behind it at the point 6, thuspreventing it from uncovering the slot until the latch has beenwithdrawn by some one in the house. 7 c is a finger-piece, by which thecover 0 may be conveniently pulled down by the carrier. The cover 0 hastwo studs, (marked 1 and 2,) which, as it is pulled down, strikesuccessively on end of the elbow-lever H, which pulls the wire h,connecting with an ordinary striking-bell G, thus making two strikesquickly following one another, so as to distinguish from the singlestrike of the ordinary house-bell. This device thus not only saves muchtime to the letter-carrier, but announces when the mail is deposited,and closes all access thereto from the outside. The owner may, ofcourse, keep the-box under lock and key, so that no one in the house cantake out the mail. g

' WVhat We claim as new, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is

The combination, with a vertically-slotted house-door, of an inside boxB, secured thereto, a slotted cover 0, retracting-spring D, springlatchE, and lever H, connecting with a striking-bell, said cover providedwith the studs 1 2, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

JOSE MATTHEWS. JOSEPH GILMER. Witnesses:

C. BACKMAN, JNo. SULLIVAN, Jr.

